Oroville to Rio Vista: planning board-and-train from the Feather River

Oroville, in Butte County, has 19,752 residents and a median age of 35.8 (Census ACS 5-year 2024). It sits on the Feather River below the dam, in a county that CDFW's hunter survey lists among the five most-named waterfowl counties.

A long day each way

At about 2.4 hours, the drive to Rio Vista is a long day each way, and a round trip adds up to nearly five hours. For that reason, a plan that keeps the dog with Richard works better than repeated trips. Call him about drop-off and pick-up and how it should fit your week.

Distance and time come from OpenStreetMap routing with no traffic. Google lists Richard's hours as 8 AM to 2 PM Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday, so call first and set a time before you start the drive.

Your local public ground

Oroville Wildlife Area covers about 11,800 acres along the Feather River. CDFW lists dove, quail and pheasant hunting on its uplands and scull-boat and decoy waterfowl hunting on the Thermalito Afterbay.

Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area, roughly 9,600 acres including the Butte Sink, and Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, about 9,200 acres near Gridley, add to the list. Gray Lodge allows dogs on a 10-foot leash when you are not actively hunting. Always check each page for current rules and permit requirements.

Dogs for both kinds of bird

With dove and pheasant on one side and Afterbay ducks on the other, an Oroville hunter can use a dog that works both. Richard is an avid upland and waterfowl hunter, and his training began with retrievers and widened to pointers and other upland breeds in 2013. See the Basic Waterfowl Program for a retriever and the Formal Gun Dog Training for a pointer to see how each starts.

What stays with the dog

When the dog goes home, the training should hold in your truck, your blind and your yard. Richard trains handlers as well, in handler lessons, so owners learn the commands and timing. A longer drive makes it smart to ask about a lesson at pick-up, so the trip does two jobs at once.

Where to find local events

Tamarin Spaniel Field Trial Club is listed at Gray Lodge on the 2026 California calendar. The California hunt test calendar page links to the current entries, and AKC Event Search has the official dates.